Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One stock to keep an eye on is Orix Corp Ads (IX). IX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 9.09, while its industry has an average P/E of 14.36. Over the past 52 weeks, IX's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.39 and as low as 8.41, with a median of 9.60.

Another notable valuation metric for IX is its P/B ratio of 0.90. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 2.61. Over the past 12 months, IX's P/B has been as high as 1.14 and as low as 0.82, with a median of 0.97.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. IX has a P/S ratio of 1.28. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.74.

Finally, investors should note that IX has a P/CF ratio of 4.79. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 15.67. IX's P/CF has been as high as 5.77 and as low as 4.40, with a median of 4.97, all within the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Orix Corp Ads's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, IX looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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